Run
by knights13
Summary: Michael on his own and on the run.


**Run**

By Knights

8/05

Rated PG

Disclaimer: The Knight Rider characters belong to Glen A. Larson and Universal. I am just borrowing them for a short while. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Notes: Actually, Run is my first fan fiction story ever. I haven't written creatively since high school. eek - be very afraid I would like to send out a huge thank you to Knightshade for all the encouragement, beta and support. Without her help I never would have attempted to write. And without her kind words of encouragement would never have had the nerve to post.

**Part 1**

Michael ran. He was sure his pursuers were still behind him but he could no longer hear them and they had stopped firing shots. The shots had been random - sporadic firing in the dark, hoping that one would find their target. None had, thankfully. He was tempted to slow his pace but being unarmed, if they caught up he would be heavily outnumbered and most definitely out gunned. He tried his comlink again. Still no response from KITT. He hoped that it was simple interference that was preventing him from contacting his partner. What that interference was he had no idea, but he tried to remain optimistic that that was the cause and that nothing had happened to KITT.

Michael had known that entering the isolated compound would be risky. There was very little cover and he had to leave KITT a good distance away to avoid detection. He'd contacted KITT briefly before entering the main building. All had gone well until an alarm sudden blared shortly thereafter. Still he was unsure as to what triggered it. He had tried to contact KITT immediately but his partner had not responded.

It felt like he had been running for ages. Surely KITT was aware of the situation and would meet him part way. As that hope crossed his mind, he knew it was unlikely. He wasn't running toward KITT - that route had been cut off. And if the interference ran both ways, KITT would have no idea as to his whereabouts.

If he didn't know better he would have come to the conclusion that they had detected his last communication with KITT. But that was supposed to be impossible. If they had somehow figured out how to intercept and trace the comlink they would know exactly where he was. Looking at his watch he debated discarding it. If they had figured out a way to cause interference in communications to KITT, it would serve that his link to his partner was a liability. If he was wrong however, and discarded the watch he could be throwing away any assistance KITT might be able to provide.

Slowing his pace he took a look behind him. He had already known that visibility was no more than several feet behind him, as it was only several feet in front, but he couldn't resist the urge. Unfortunately this side of the compound had been inaccessible by road. Whoever picked this location knew exactly what they were doing. The front of the compound was the only entrance and as bright as daylight with all the lights. The sides and back were open desert that was nestled into a crescent shaped ridge about five miles away. His only light source was the partial moon.

Finally taking a moment to catch his breath, Michael rationed out that if he could circle back he could use the night as cover and with any luck reconnect with KITT. The more he thought about it the more likely it seemed that they were using the comlink to locate him. Either that or knowing he had no where to go, felt they could wait him out till daybreak. However, the comlink was more likely. These people didn't tolerate error and there would be too much possibility that he would be able to find a way to slip by them through the night. No, they must have some way to track him or they would be putting more effort into their hunt. The only way he could figure them being capable of doing this was by the comm. Regretfully he removed the watch from his wrist and dropped it to the ground. Devon was going to be furious with him for losing another comm. Especially when he found out that this one was broken on purpose. Grimacing, Michael applied the heel of his boot till he heard the watch crack. It was a risk that they would switch tactics once they lost his signal but it was too much of a risk for them to find the watch operational. He just hoped he could put enough distance between himself and the broken watch before they realized what happened and did just that.

Michael took a deep breath, changed directions and again began to run.

**Part 2**

Michael didn't have to run far before he could hear his pursuers. He had managed to get a bit further ahead of them than he'd anticipated but they were there nonetheless. And, as he anticipated, their numbers were far greater than he would be able to handle on his own.

Michael hadn't retraced his steps when he changed direction but had gone about forty-five degrees to the right. He had hoped that this would lead him out of the way of the pursuers and eventually bring him to where KITT was parked, just beyond the ridge. Now as he closed the ground between his location and those who were after him, he realized he would have to alter his escape route. The men tracking Michael were fanning out. They sounded close enough together that they should be able to see the shadow of the man on each side of them in the limited light, however, far enough apart to cover a good amount of ground. And, when the time came, they would be able to close in around him blocking any ways to escape. From the amount of noise they were making in their pursuit of Michael, he guessed there to be at least ten men. Fortunately for him, they were making much more noise then he. As long as he could stay out of visual range he should be able to remain relatively undetected.

Running more towards the top curve of the ridge instead of where he anticipated the tip to be, Michael prayed that he was still far enough ahead of his pursuers that he they would pass in the night without them being aware that they were no longer behind him. As fate would have it, his prayers fell on deaf ears. Michael was unable to make out what was being said, but the men had stopped running. In order not to be heard, Michael too slowed his pace to a brisk walk. He still had at least two men to clear before he would be outside their spread. He mused that whoever was tracking his comlink figured out that he had discarded it and they no longer had an accurate idea where he was. That is if his hunch was correct.

Up till this point his trackers had not required light to find him. However, Michael realized that if they brought out search lights or even high powered flashlights his position could quickly be ascertained. Not only might they spot him but he was sure that he was leaving footprints. As that thought crossed his mind he had to quickly squash his panic. He hadn't even thought about a possible trail that he might be leaving. When those chasing him crossed his tracks, it would only take one to notice and close in on his location faster than he could afford. With that thought in mind he picked up speed again.

Perhaps his prayers were heard after all. Once those in pursuit stopped running, they seemed to be at a loss of what exactly to do. Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Michael took the opportunity to put as much distance between him and them as he could. His goal was simple - make it to KITT before the sun started to light the night sky. Without his watch he couldn't be exact but, he roughly guessed he had at least another two hours before the sun started to rise.

The ground below his feet was starting to change. It was becoming harder, less sandy. The base of the ridge wouldn't be much farther. Michael could no longer hear those chasing him. Either they hadn't figured out where he had gotten to or they gave up their foot chase completely. Either way, he would have to stay on alert for other ways they might find to track or capture him.

If they had been tracking the comlink, then there was the possibility that they already knew who he was and possibly had been expecting him. Michael had a sneaking suspicion that was the case. The man who called on FLAG for help was in fact setting him up. The question was why? What were they after? Nothing about the situation had set off any warning bells for any of them. That didn't rule out revenge, of course, as it was always a concern. And, after all, Michael and KITT had no shortage of enemies. But this was all just speculation and would remain as such if he didn't get himself out of this.

So far so good! Michael had made it to the edge of the ridge with no further incident with those he was fleeing. He should be able to follow the crescent to the tip and with any amount of luck KITT would be nearby waiting. Michael was forced to reduce his speed. The amount of loose rock at the edge of the ridge was increasing. It wouldn't be much further before Michael should actually be able to make his way to KITT.

In the distance, Michael could hear the roar of several engines coming to life and the whine of a helicopter starting to take flight. They hadn't given up their search; he hadn't truly believed that they would remain at a loss for long. As he reached the crescent's tip he could see the search lights cut through the night behind him. They had a lot of ground to search and KITT shouldn't be far.

But as Michael approached where he had left KITT, KITT was nowhere to be seen.

"KITT," Michael whispered as loud as he dared.

"KITT, where are you?"

But, there was no reply.

**Part 3**

Hot, tired, and thirsty, Michael squinted thru the darkness trying to extend his night vision just that much farther. KITT had to be here somewhere. He couldn't just disappear. But Michael knew KITT could have driven away on his own or they could have come after him as well. Michael knelt, trying to get an idea of what had taken place, but besides KITT's tire tracks, he'd seen nothing that gave him any real clues. KITT could be in trouble or he could be a mile down the road waiting for Michael to signal him. Signal him with a comlink that Michael no longer was in possession of.

What to do, what to do? It would be daylight soon and Michael would be a sitting duck. There was no cover to speak of. He could walk to the top of the ridge to see if he could spot KITT as that would give him the best vantage point, but it would also make him highly visible. Not to mention take a great deal of time and effort. Neither of which he was in possession of. The idea of heading towards the nearest town crossed his mind but he knew the nearest sign of civilization was at least a hundred miles away. If they didn't find him before he made it that far, the cruelty of the desert sun surely would, especially without water.

Besides KITT wouldn't leave him. If he wasn't out here waiting for Michael then he had to be in trouble. Michael rubbed his wrist and wished for the comlink. He doubted it would work with whatever interference he had encountered, he still wasn't far enough away from the compound, but he felt alone and vulnerable without it.

It was interference! It had to be! Michael refused to entertain any thoughts that KITT was in jeopardy. At least not to the point that the comlink would have been affected. They would have had to breach all KITT's systems to deactivate the com. No, he had been in communication with KITT moments before they lost contact. KITT had been left in surveillance mode; he would have told Michael if something was out of place.

Michael gave his head a shake. He was wasting time. Time he didn't have. He had to get himself together and get a game plan organized. He could see the first signs of daybreak on the horizon and those from the compound were still searching for him. If they caught him, he had no doubt they would kill him without a second thought. The research Bonnie had done on this group was limited given the extensive search she had done. But one thing was clear in what she did find; the men in this compound did not take prisoners.

Clearing his mind of things he could do nothing about, he realized that there was no one waiting for him at this location. If no one was here that must be a good sign that they didn't know KITT had been here either. Surely they would deduce he would attempt to make it back to his vehicle and have someone waiting. Instead Michael turned to watch the spotlights sweeping the inside of the crescent.

Soon they wouldn't need those spotlights.

Trying to keep his mind on the problem at hand, Michael reasoned that if neither KITT nor anyone else was waiting here, then KITT was likely to be nearby. Furthermore, KITT would have been able to detect their ability to track their signal. Mentally crossing his fingers, Michael followed that train of thought. If KITT realized he could be located what would he have done? The same thing that Michael had or the closest he could come to it - move out of range.

Unfortunately Michael had no idea what range their tracking system would cover. However, he could formulate a pretty good guess as to which direction KITT would have retreated to.

The search party was getting closer and the cover of night was already starting to fade. Michael was out of time. He hoped this was one of those occasions where he and his partner were on the same wave length. If KITT couldn't get to Michael, he would retreat to where he could wait for him safely.

With that in mind, Michael again ran. This time on the road leading away from the compound.

**Part 4**

Michael had started to wonder if he was ever going to be able to stop running. It seemed to him that he had been running for a lifetime, although logically he knew that it hadn't been more than five hours. He had left KITT shortly after one a.m. to make his way into the compound. The sun had just made its appearance over the horizon, which by his estimate put it somewhere about six a.m.

By now his pursuers would have a clear view of the landscape. He was surprised that he wasn't being chased down by the men in their vehicles already. Surely they wouldn't think twice about leaving the security of their base to come after only him. They knew he was on foot and they should be able to see him. He didn't understand.

But then again he wasn't thinking clearly. With all this running he was exhausted and parched. He wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer.

And now he was sure he was seeing things. He thought he could make out KITT's silhouette in the distance. KITT was just sitting there. He must be able to see Michael and yet he wasn't coming closer. At least he didn't appear to be. KITT would be able to close the gap between them in a matter of seconds if he was moving.

"KITT?" Michael attempted to call out, but his parched throat let out more of a croak than anything recognizable.

Michael attempted to swallow and tried again, yielding the same result.

Slowing to a walk Michael started to cough.

---

Less than a mile away KITT sat impatiently. He knew it was illogical but over the years of working with Michael he had picked up some bad habits. And this was definitely one of them.

Michael had left him just after one a.m. KITT had watched him in surveillance mode as Michael made the long hike into the compound. KITT would have rather taken him up to the building himself, but with the entire drive and front of the compound lit up he would have definitely been spotted. Instead he waited on the far side of the ridge wall, behind the only cover available; monitoring Michael thru the comlink. He knew as his last communication with Michael was terminated that they were in trouble. He immediately attempted to contact Michael again but had been blocked by an electronic jammer - one designed to block transitions but also to identify and locate the source. KITT discontinued advertising his location as he activated auto cruise to go in after Michael. Simultaneously an alarm blared. He didn't make fifty feet when his only route to his partner had been circumvented. He watched as Michael fled to the desert into the cover of night. KITT retreated, knowing he couldn't follow and at the same time trying to assist Michael in the only way he could - lure as many as he could to follow him.

And, follow they did. KITT allowed them to keep him in sight for just long enough to give Michael a chance, and then he went into pursuit mode and disappeared into the night. His hope was that they would believe that Michael had been abandoned. There was no civilization out this way for miles and with no transportation Michael would not only be abandoned but trapped. Giving those now after him time to catch him at their leisure. And with any luck giving Michael the opportunity to escape.

After what KITT felt to be a reasonable amount of time, he double backed to the compound. His scanners were on alert for the edge of the compound's electronic interference. When he detected its outer boundaries, he was careful not to get to close. KITT didn't want them to know he was back.

Now all he could do was wait. Wait and worry. He had been unable to warn Michael that his comlink was now being used against him. They would be able to track its signal with Michael totally unaware. And if by some miracle he was able to elude them, KITT was no longer where Michael left him. But KITT relied on the fact that when Michael found he was missing that he would head back the way they came in. After all, when they didn't report in, the Foundation's mobile unit would be sent. It would not go all the way to the compound but would come part way in attempts to find any trace of the missing partners. If KITT was missing Michael would know that the mobile unit would rendezvous with him. With that thought in mind, KITT contacted Devon with an update.

As much as KITT was well aware that he was doing everything he could do to help Michael, he still felt as if he abandoned him. His primary function was to protect Michael's life at all costs. However they had learnt early on in their relationship that KITT sacrificing himself when trying to get Michael out of trouble did not always help in the long run. The direction that Michael was forced to take tonight, KITT was unable to follow. He would have gotten stuck in the sand had he tried, being of no use to Michael. As much as Michael had a tendency of getting into trouble, he was also remarkably capable of getting himself out. No, KITT's most logically place to be was exactly where he was. He had given Michael as much of an advantage as he could and now he had to trust in Michael's capabilities.

Several hours later KITT finally got a visual on Michael. He was running towards KITT as the sun greeted the new day. Michael was still within the compound's tracking area so all KITT was able to do was watch Michael run to him. Michael didn't appear to be pursued at this point and KITT was lax to notify them by being hasty in trying to communicate too soon.

Michael's pace first slowed to a walk and then he stopped completely as he doubled over in what appeared to be a coughing fit. KITT again was tempted to go to Michael but fought the urge as Michael straightened and continued walking.

Suddenly behind Michael, and closing in on him at an alarming rate of speed, a vehicle appeared. KITT activated pursuit mode and raced towards Michael as two more vehicles appeared behind the first.

Without turning, Michael broke out into a run, racing towards KITT. The three vehicles were closer to Michael but KITT had speed on his side. It would be close but KITT was determined to reach Michael first.

**Part 5**

Michael squinted into the distance. He was sure that was KITT sitting off on the horizon. As much as he longed for KITT to get him out of this mess, water was truly his strongest desire. He reasoned that if he was so far gone that he would be hallucinating it would be water he would be conjuring up, not KITT sitting just out of reach.

Without apparent cause, the image of KITT was suddenly accelerating towards him. Instinct kicked in before Michael realized he was running again. Then he heard the engines behind him. He didn't need to look, they had finally figured out where he had gone and again were making chase. His only hope was to make it to KITT before they made it to him.

The distinct sound of weapons fire filled the air. This time, they were not random shots in the dark. This time the target was in clear site. And this time there would be no room for error as it would be their last opportunity to take down the target. This to Michael's reasoning explained why they were firing with him still out of range. That would not be the case for long. At least Michael wasn't the only one having a bad night.

KITT was only a matter of feet away when he slid the Trans Am sideways while opening the door for Michael. In which Michael quickly dove into. KITT closed the door behind him as he completed the turn. As he accelerated away gunfire again rang out, this time to reflect off of KITT's mbs.

Michael spotted his bottle of water in KITT's cup holder and wasted no time in taking a long anticipated drink. His first attempt at speech again came out as a croak but was resolved after clearing his throat. "Is it ever good to see you! Can you lose them?"

"It would be my pleasure." KITT responded as he activated pursuit mode and speed off down the highway. Michael turned to watch out the rear window as KITT put more and more distance between them and those attempting to follow. Within no time they were specks on the horizon. Michael waited until he couldn't make them out at all before he turned forward again and went completely limp.

"Michael, are you alright? Are you injured? Do you require medical care?" Even as KITT asked, he was running his own scans.

"No KITT, I'm fine." Michael took a long drink then added, "Just tired buddy, just tired. It's been a long night." After another short pause he said, "KITT you mind if I rest for a bit buddy?" The adrenaline that had been keeping him going was quickly fading.

"Not at all Michael, I'll wake you when we reach the mobile unit," KITT replied as he darkened the windows.

"Thanks buddy." Now safe and comfortable, Michael closed his eyes and promptly drifted off to sleep.

Fini


End file.
